IND ready to welcome general aviation Super Bowl fans

Super Bowl XLVI is less than a month away, but officials at the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) have been working on the airport’s game plan for more than a year.

With an expected 500 to 700 additional general aviation aircraft anticipated at IND and nearby regional airports during the Super Bowl travel period, tarmac space in the normally unused old-terminal area has been designated as parking areas for private planes.

A temporary ramp tower will be operating at IND to help direct pilots from parking areas to taxiways, airport officials noted. Temporary FAA towers will operate at Eagle Creek Airpark and Indianapolis Regional Airport, which are IAA reliever airports whose arrival and departure procedures are not normally directed by FAA controllers.

“We began preparing for this event well before the last Super Bowl was even played, and understand the airport’s critical role in ensuring our region is a world-class host of this world-class event,” said John D. Clark III, IAA’s executive director and CEO. “Our entire staff embraces the opportunity to set the bar high with a fantastic first impression and to ensure that same level of Hoosier hospitality sees our guests off after the game.”

The big game will be played Feb. 5, with Feb. 6 anticipated to be the biggest travel day at the airports as fans return home.